Annalisa Burgos has roamed the world for stories served to an international audience. Now based in the Philippines, the journo is set to start a new chapter in her career.

Many dream of establishing a successful career abroad even if it means being apart from family and friends for long periods of time.

Annalisa Burgos

Veteran journalist Annalisa Burgos is the opposite. She who has had more than 17 years of experience working as anchor for such prestigious companies as CNBC.com, Bloomberg TV, Channel NewsAsia, Forbes, and CNBC returns to the Philippines employed by ANC.

“It was not a hard decision (to make as) it’s just so interesting here,” The UCLA graduate said. “I felt like I can always go back to the United States when I feel like it, but the opportunity to work here is something that excites me.”

Annalisa hosts the morning show “Early Edition” with TJ Manotoc, Paolo Abrera, Michelle Ong and Christian Esguerra. They deliver the latest local and global news, financial updates, and breaking reports starting at 5:30 a.m. from Monday to Friday. The program includes interviews with experts on politics, the economy, and foreign policy and also discusses trending topics on sports, entertainment and lifestyle.

Annalisa is still adjusting to her new job, mostly on playing catch-up with her colleagues.

She’s not complaining, though, noting that learning is something she prioritizes in life.

“Expectations are high and you want to fulfill your purpose,” she explained. “Let’s be real, you don’t stay in this business for the glamour of it or for the money. You want to inform people, you want to educate people.”

“People always put premium on that,” she said. “Once you’re on TV, everything about you is being analyzed, scrutinized, your look, your approach, your personality, even your identity. I don’t like my credibility being questioned. It would be a shame.”

Annalisa is brushing up on her Tagalog, something she understands but doesn’t speak fluently.

“I grew up watching the Filipino channel,” the LA born and bred Annalisa said. “I can understand it but my Tagalog is awful.”

She is thankful her co-hosts are most helpful when it comes to helping her improve her grasp of the language.

“Everyone’s been so welcoming and helpful so it’s nice,” she said. “In any case, I try to speak Tagalog as much as I can.”

Annalisa revealed that as someone new in the country, she is also able to give a fresh perspective on issues.

“I like to challenge the way people see things, so expect to see different points of view. I offer an outsider’s take on what Filipinos may take for granted or miss,” she was quoted in a release

Ging Reyes

Aside from “Early Edition,” the new shows on the ABS-CBN News Channel are: “Gametime” is a 30-minute sports newscast airing weekdays at 9:30 p.m. It features sports highlights, game recaps, exclusive interviews, and interactive segments presented by upcoming anchor Migs Bustos.

The primetime edition of “The Bureau” offers a comprehensive take on international news and events with reports from worldwide news resources. At the helm of the 7 p.m. edition is Ron Cruz, while Karmina Constantino remains the anchor at 4 p.m.

ABS-CBN Integrated News head Ging Reyes said there are more to come for the channel in 2017 as they further strengthen ANC’s business and political content and programming, and produce more live events like their ANCX series.

“We in ABS-CBN never tire of innovating. We are always restless. We always challenge ourselves to do better. The spirit of adapting to change and delivering what our viewers need continues this year,” she said. (With report from Jojo P. Panaligan)